Dry-pipe valve



Jan. 5 1926.

W. K. HODGMAN ET AL DRY PIPE VALVE Filed Feb. 2, 1920 //V VENTUR with; K.

Patented Jan. 5, 192.

um'ran ,STATIESPATENT OFFICE.

'WITJLIS K. HODGM-AN AND WILLIS K. HODGMAN. JR., 9]? TAUNTON MASSACHUSETTS;

EMMA A. HODGMAN EXECUTRIX F SAID WILLIS K. HODGMAN, DECEASED.

DRY-YIBE VAL E.

Application; filed February 2, 1920. Serial No. 355,598.,

T ll who it may concern; opening 8 is provided with a valve-seat 11 Be it known that we, WILLIS K. HODGMAN for the water-valve 12, and the waterway and YVIL-nrs IQIHODGMAN, J11, citizens of the opening 10 is provided with a valveeat,

United States-residing at Taunton, in the 13 for the waterway-valve 14. A second county of Bristol and State of M assaopening 15 through the partition is pro- 55 @husetts, have invented new and useful Imvided with a combined valve-seat and guide provements in Dry-Pipe Valves, of which 16 for the air-valve 17. I

the following is a specification. The air-valve 17 is preferably provided Our invention relates to improvements in with a flexible annular lip 19 which seats dry; pipe valves for use in automatic sprinupon the valve-seat 16 and is securedto the 00 kler systems, wherein a moderate amount of main body of the air-valve by the bolt 20 air pressure holds back a much heavier water and washer 21. pressure. 1 v y l When the air-valve 17 is, in its normal po- A common form of this type of dry pipe sition, the end of its stem 18 presses down valve, known as the differential type, comupon the free end of the multiplying lever prises a double-seated check valve having 22 which is fulcrumed on the pin 23 fast the ,airseat much larger than the water seat. in the walls of the lower chamber 7. The The difference in area between the two seats fulcrum end of the lever 22 is forked so as determines the differential or difference in not to obstruct the straightway passage pressure necessary to balance the valve. through the valve-casing. When the parts The objects of our invention are, first, to are in their normal positions the lower edges hold the water valve closed against the Water of the forked portion of the lever 22 rest under pressure by means of the lesser air upon the top of the-standards 24, of the 7 pressure acting directlyupon the water valve water-valve 12, thus transferring the mul- 25 through an air-valve and a multiplying tiplied pressure of the air-valve 17 directly lever; and, second, to provide a straightway upon the water-valve 12. V passage for the water through the valve The pivoted latch 25 is provided to engage casing. the free end of the lever 22 and thus prevent V We attain, these objects by mechanism, a the water-valve 12 from becoming effectively- 30 preferred form of which is illustrated in the seated again after itis once opened or per accompanying drawing which showsa longitially opened. Y i tudinal sectional viewof a dry pipe valve The valve-casing is provided with the embodying the invention. a hand holes 26, 27, 28 and 29 to permit access a The valve-casing comprises three parts 1, to the chambers 6 and 7 for the purpose of 35 2 and 3, fastened together by bolts 4. The cleaning and resetting the valves, These horizontal partition 5, in the part 2, divides hand holes are properly sealed by suitable the valve-casing into upper and lower chamcovers (not shown) when the apparatus is here 6 and 7. in working order. p i

The part 3 of the valve-casing is provided The opening 30, in the outlet 9,, is fitted with an inlet opening 8 communicating with with a suitable valve (not shown) throu h 99 the water supply pipe, and the part 1 is which is introduced, when required, t e provided with an outlet opening 9 communiwater for priming the valves 14 and 17, and eating with the riser of a sprinkler system. the air under pressure for holding the valves 1 The horizontal partition 5 is provided with 12, 14 and 17 tightly seated.

45 a waterway openlng 10, connecting the cham- This valve can also be used as a test valve bers'fi and 7, and directly in line withthe to ascertain that the system is free from openings 8 and 9. These three openings are water down to its level.

all preferably round and .of the same size, A pipe (not shown) takes out of the open:

and, When Open, provide a straightway pasing 31, in the chamber 7 and coginects Wlth sage through the valve-casing. The inlet some usual alarm device which 1s caused to sound an alarm by the fiowage of water from the chamber 7 when the water-valve is open. The opening 32 is equipped with a drip valve (not shown), which may be of the usual ball type, for the purpose of preserving atmospheric pressure in the chamber and also to indicate any leakage of water from the valves 12, 14 and 17.

lVith the construction above described, when the waterway-valve 14, the air-valve 17 and the water-valve 12 are seated and the lever 22 unlatched and with the required air-pressure present in the sprinkler system, the water-valve will be held closed by the air-pressure in the system acting upon the air-valve and through the lever directly upon the watervalve, and, as will be understood, the air-pressure required to hold the water-valve closed may be materially less than the water-pressure, which is acting to open the water-valve. on account of the multiplying function of the lever.

\Vhen one of more sprinklers are released, the air-pressure in the system rapidly falls to a point below a. predetermined minimum and then the preponderance of the waterpressure opens the water-valve, and also the air-valve. by means of the lever, which is then latched by the latch 25 in a position preventing the valves from becoming effectively seated again. The continued flow of the water into the chamber 7 opens the waterway-valve 14; thus establishing a straightway passage. for the water, through the valve-casing to the riser of the sprinkler system.

We are aware that prior to our invention mechanical dry pipe valves have been made with lever construction between the airvalves and the water-valves but in all such dry pipe valves the construction has comprised some means, consisting of an arrangement of cams. latches, abutments or the like, whereby a holding tendency is imposed upon the water-valves in addition to the multiplied air-pressure and wherein it has been found desirable, if not necessary, to provide falling weights to insure the opening of the water valves when the air-pressure is reduced below the predetermined pressure.

It will now be seen that our invention is of a type of dry pipe valve wherein the water-valve is held closed, against the water under pressure, by the multiplied efi'ect of the lesser air-pressure alone and that we accomplish this result by the comparatively small air-valve acting directly upon the water-valve by means of the multiplying lever, whereas in the usual differential dry pipe valve the same result is accomplished by the increased area of the air-valve.

The terms upper and lower and similar terms employed herein are to be understood as relative merely and not as restricted.

We claim:

1. A dry pipe valve comprising a casing, a partition dividing the easing into upper and lower chambers, the said casing having an inlet opening into the lower chamber, an outlet opening from the upper chamber, a waterway opening through the partition all aligned to present a straight waterway through the casing, and a second opening through the partition, a water valve in the lower chamber for the inlet opening mounted on the casing to swing clear of the waterway when opening, a waterway valve in the upper chamber for the waterway opening mounted on the casing to swing clear of the waterway when open, an air valve in the upper chamber for the second opening, and a lever in the lower chamber fulcrumed to the casing, normally engaging the water valve and the air valve, proportioned so that a given pressure exerted by the air valve on the lever will counterbalance a greater pressure exerted by the water valve on the lever. and acting when released by movement of the air valve to free the water valve and allow it to swing to the open position.

2. A dry pipe valve comprising a casing. a partition dividing the easing into upper and lower chambers. the said casing having an inlet opening into the lower chamber, an outlet opening from the upper chamber, a waterway opening through the partition all alined to present a straight waterway through the casing, and a second opening through the partition. a water valve in the lower chamber for the inlet opening mounted on the casing to swing clear of the waterway when opening. a waterway valve in the upper chamber for the waterway opening mounted on the casing to swing clear of the waterway when open. an air valve in the upper chamber for the second opening. and a lever in the lower chamber 'Fulcrumed to the casing. engaging intermediate its ends the water valve, engaging at its free end the air valve. bifurcated to straddle the waterwav, and acting upon the opening of the air valve to free the water valve and allow it to swing to open position.

3. A dry pipe valve comprising the construc ion defined in claim 1. together with a latch movahlv mounted in the lower chamber and acting. upon the movement of the lever suflicicnt-lv to allow the opening of the water valve. to engage the lever and loelt it against movement in the opposite direction.

4. A dry pipe valve having the constructions defined in claim 1 in which an opening is provided from the lower chamber to the atmosphere.

5. A dry pipe valve comprising a casing having an inlet opening. a water valve for the inlet opening. a second opening in the said casing, an air valve for said second opening held normally closed by air pressure thereon, in which the sole means for transmitting the pressure exerted upon the one valve to the other consists of a lever fulcrumed in the casing and engaging both valves whereby the pressure transmitted between the valves may be varied by proportioning the effective distances from the points of engagement of Said valves with said lever to the fulcrum,

and a latch movably mounted in the casing and acting, upon the movement of the lever sufiiciently to allow the opening of the Water 10 valve, to engage the lever and lock it against movement in the opposite direction.

l VILLIS K. HODGMAN. WILLIS K. HODGMAN, JR. 

